


only a monster in costume

by orphan_account



Category: IT (Movies - Muschietti), IT - Stephen King
Genre: Band Fic, Bisexual Richie Tozier, Gay Eddie Kaspbrak, Happy Ending, Internalized Homophobia, Light Angst, M/M, Mild Language, Period-Typical Homophobia, Richie Tozier Loves Eddie Kaspbrak, Shark Puppy AU, sharkpuppy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-07
Updated: 2020-04-07
Packaged: 2021-03-01 20:48:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,258
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23523328
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Richie writes a song and thinks back on the memories that inspired the linesa reddie Oneshot for the shark puppy au
Relationships: Eddie Kaspbrak/Richie Tozier
Kudos: 6





	only a monster in costume

**Author's Note:**

> this is a one-shot and I've slept 3 hours a night for around two weeks, (i wish I was joking, you always think "who needs sleep? lmao I just need coffee!" but really. I honest to god feel like I'm dying.) because of this, please forgive me if the story is messy or if there are grammar/spelling issues.

Richie sat stretched out on the couch, tapping his pen on the rumpled page of the notebook.  
he'd been wanting to write this song for a long time, the lyrics running dizzily through his head.

he started slow, humming the tune hed picked as he wrote.

'spent a summer at the arcade'

'pressing buttons till it all fades away'

'that's all right, didn't need it anyway'

'why play at life when you can play games?'

memories of the dirty arcade floor came to mind, of kids laughing and shouting.

-Richie worked he controls, leaning closer to the screen, the game reflecting in his glasses.  
another win, it was almost too easy now. he smiled and stretched watching the points rise.

he pushed another token in and hit start. letting himself fall into the game, forget the world. forget Eddie and all the things Eddie did to him, all the things he thought of Eddie. the escape was more than welcome.

his practice had paid off.

time had gone by.

a tap on the shoulder startled him from the game.  
he turned quickly, looking at a brown-haired guy'

"hey, should probably finish up, we're closing," he said, smiling.

Richie paused, glancing from the guy, to his game, out the door and back again.  
it was dark already.

"Oh. i-.. what time is it?" he asked, looking away from the guy and back at the doors.

"nearly seven-thirty. lost track of time, huh?"  
he smiled at Richie again. he couldn't be much older, he looked around sixteen or seventeen.

"Yeah, thanks for letting me know." he offered a small smile turning towards the door.

he nods and waves as Richie leaves, the cool air hitting his burning face and blowing his shirt out behind him as he rushed home.  
he was supposed to be home for dinner... his mother was definitely going to be mad.-

Richie wrote a bit faster, the lyrics forming a little easier. 

'haven't spoken to you for a while'

'cant tell the truth, so I live in a lie'

'can't win and I got it all to lose'

'got four eyes and I cant see this through'

-Eddie nudged him.  
"hey"

Richie glanced over at him before refocusing on his comic book.

Eddie scowled, yanking the comic book from Richie's hands and tossing it aside.  
"will you listen to me! we haven't talked for three days! and now when we're finally hanging out you won't even look at me? or say hi? what the fuck?"

Richie sat up, scrubbing his face, guilt pulling his shoulders down.  
"i-... sorry, eds. it's been a rough week."

Eddie softened, shoving himself into the hammock beside Richie and looking at him.  
"well... tell me about it?"

Richie clenched his fists.  
he could feel his chest tightening.  
he wasn't about to spill to Eddie, one can't just say 'oh yeah, I had a dream that we fucked. woke up and had to change my pants, hah- that's cool though.'  
you cant say that and then carry on with the day, or really carry on with the friendship.

Richie smiled halfheartedly.  
"I'm just tired 'cause I spent all night making sweet, sweet love to your mom"

Eddie rolled his eyes, shoving Richie and nearly tipping them both out of the hammock.  
"you did not! fuck you!"

Richie lightened and laughed grabbing eddies wrists and holding them away to fend off the attack of eddies fists on his chest and arm and keeping him from snatching his glasses.

Eddie cracked a smile.  
"I hate your jokes."

Richie smiled, his eyes drifting over the freckles that scattered his cheeks and nose.  
"you love my jokes, spaghetti, that's why you keep comin' back."

Eddie always cheered him up, he may be a large part of the problem but he could always make smile and laugh.  
Eddie and his laughter, his lectures and rants.  
Eddie would be the death of him, Richie knew this, he was Richie's poison.

Eddie laughed.  
"yea, maybe I do." 

Richie softened, smiling and leaning against eddie.-

Richie wrote faster trying to keep up with his train of thought before he forgot it and lost the lyrics forever. maybe stan was right, maybe an energy drink wasnt a great idea. 

'werewolves chase me, and statues come alive'

'to tell me im broken and follow me at night'

'ill survive where I need to, and someday when I'm grown'

'ill go someplace better, ill never come home.'

\- Richie turned to look at the clock.  
two-thirty in the morning.  
he huffed turning to look back at the ceiling, his mind wandered back to the movie he had watched earlier that day.  
teenage werewolf...

half boy, half abomination.

Richie could understand that. having a broken part of yourself. 

he may not be a real monster, like a vampire or zombie or werewolf.  
he was his own kind. 

his chest ached and he sat up slowly, slipping out of bed and opening his window, taking a deep breath and sitting on the windowsill.  
maybe he wouldn't be a monster somewhere else, maybe if he went somewhere bigger no one would care, or maybe they wouldn't even notice.-

Richie falters writing the next part. it hurt because, at one point, he really believed it.

'but you are the one dream that'll never come true'

cause the real monsters me, and all I want is you.'

'i guess you could say that it's been a rough year'

'everybody has something they fear'

'i always wish I was anywhere but here'

'that's just the motto of a small-town queer'

'can you tell what I think about you?'

-Eddie laughed along with stan and mike, listening as Bev told some story.  
his cheeks had gone a pretty pink and Richie could feel himself smiling too.  
he could picture that face, smiling and happy, on a couch in an apartment a movie playing and the two of them under a blanket.

he forced his eyes away, cutting the train of thought off before he got swept up in it.  
it was better to stop dreaming of things like that.  
things he could never have.

things he shouldn't even want.

he huffs, picking up a comic book, flipping through it.

"rich!"

eddies voice. and then eddies hands on his shoulders, tugging him back.  
"hey, what?"  
he catches his shirts before it rides up too far and turns to look at Eddie

"did you hear Bev's joke? you didn't even laugh!"  
Eddie tugged again and Richie shrugged

"sorry, eds. I guess I missed it."

Eddie rolled his eyes, dropping down to sit beside, an arm still slung awkwardly over Richie's shoulders.  
it would've worked better if Eddie were a bit taller, or if richer were a bit shorter.

"you know you can talk to me, right?" Eddie said suddenly.  
his tone was hushed, something just between them.  
"you seemed stressed recently.. and-.. you're always helping me so if you need, I can help you. okay?" 

Richie looked at him, he could feel his face warming.  
"I'm alright, eds."

Eddie looked at him and Richie was sure he was going to find out.  
he was going to pull it straight out of his head. 

Richie turned away, words heavy on his tongue.

"..kay.. I mean it though, anytime."  
Eddie said, throwing his other arm around Richie, squeezing him in a hug before getting up.-

Richie kept humming, flipping the page and chasing the song. 

'declarations I wish you knew'

'you can guess, you don't have to try'

'im caught cold with no alibi'

\- Eddie threw Richie's door open, rushing inside.

Richie jumped looking up quickly. today had been the last day of high school, which made Richie wonder why Eddie was holding his backpack scowling.  
"uh... hey, eds. what's that for? you know it's done right we don't have to go back to that hell hole again."

Eddie crossed the room in quick, long strides.  
"you're an absolute dumbass!-" he unzips the bag, dumping everything out onto the floor before bending down and picking up one of Richie's notebooks "-you left this there and you better be glad it was me who found it and not some asshole!" he flips quickly through the pages before turning it towards Richie.

Richie's eyes widen as he looks over the page.  
his stomach turns and he can feel the blood rush to his ace.  
"Eddie, it's not-"

Eddie cuts him off, kicking books aside and crossing his arms as speaks.  
"shut up. shut up. why didn't you tell me? why did I have to find out over some-" he waves his hands, the pages flapping noisily."-some stupid rant about a boy!?"

Richie gets up snatching the notebook from him with shakey hands.  
"its a joke," he says.

Eddie glares at him.  
"don't you lie to me. I've known you long enough to know when you're joking," he growls.

Richie shrinks back, dropping the notebook and kicking it under his bed.  
'out of sight, out of mind..right?'

Eddie grabs his arm, tugging him back to the present.  
"Why didn't you tell me?"

Richie pulled his arm back.  
"...what was I supposed to say?"

Eddie crossed his arms, tapping his foot.  
"i-.. I don't know... but... I mean.. I didn't want to find out because I was cleaning up after you and stumbled across some note bout how badly you want to be 'dicked down' by-.. by some guy."  
he looked up.  
"..do I know him?"

Richie faltered, looking down and pushing his glasses up, hands trembling and heart pounding in his ears.

Eddie softened, moving closer.  
"I just.. I want you to trust me."

Richie tries to blink the tears away shaking his head.  
"I do"

eddies hands are on his arms, pulling him closer, before moving up to hold his face, his thumbs wiping tears away.  
"then.. talk to me."

"I don't know how-..what to say, it-.. I thought you would hate me, Eddie. I was terrified of you finding out.. its not-... good..."  
Richie stumbled over the sentence, voice shaking.

Eddie scowls and squeezes Richie's cheeks until he winces.  
"The only not good thing about this, is that I found out through your horny notes."

Richie looks at him, glasses crooked on his squished cheeks.  
"I'm sorry.."

Eddie lets him go, fixing his glasses and sighing.  
"Okay...look. just... talk to me okay?"

Richie nodded.  
"you're.. you're okay with this?" he asked quietly.

Eddie swats his arm.  
"yas! just- who?"

Richie halted.  
his face once again going a dark shade of red.  
"ill tell you later... if that's okay."

Eddie nodded slowly.  
"Yeah. sure. but you better start talking to me, really talking to me rich. I don't wanna find out that-.." he searched for an example. "-that you're moving or something through a note on the fridge."

Richie laughed, looking over at Eddie.  
"yea. promise."-

Richie looked up when the door opened and Eddie and bill walked in holding bags and drink carriers.  
"back with food!" Eddie smiled setting it on the table, following bills lead.

Richie smiled.  
"awesome, I am dying of starvation," he said sitting up.

Eddie rolled his eyes.  
"you are not. don't be dramatic. ill go get some plates."

Richie looks back down at the notebook.

'chorus 1

'Baby don't be afraid of the bad dreams'

'Close your eyes and it's just you and me"

'just you and me'

'just you and me'

Eddie set some plates down and started emptying the bags, distributing food before taking his seat beside Richie on the couch.  
he glanced over and nudged Richie with his elbow, smiling.  
"new song?"

Richie grinned, taking a sip of soda.  
"yeah."

'chorus 2

'we'll survive where we need to, someday when we're grown.'

\- Eddie was sat beside Richie, helping him clean up the mess of his dumped backpack.

he stopped, looking at Richie for a moment. a pretty pink colouring his cheeks.  
"me too... by the way."

Richie paused eyes widening. he looked at Eddie.  
"oh.."

Eddie nodded again and continued cleaning.

Richie did too, before frowning and grabbing a stack of papers, throwing them over Eddie.  
"you dick! why would you yell at me for keeping a secret when you did too!"

Eddie looked at him a moment before both burst into a fit of laughter.  
"oh my god.. were idiots.."-

'we'll drive away together and build a new home'

'stay with me my love, and my dream will come true'

-Eddie watched as Richie smashed the trunk down.

"Finally, let's get out of here,"  
Eddie muttered.

Richie nodded, smiling and nudging him.  
"excited to see the new place?"

Eddie looked at him taking a deep breath.  
"yea.. just hope it's clean."

Richie laughed shaking his head.  
"its clean, eds."-

Eddie nudged him.  
"Hey, come on, your foods getting cold."

Richie nods.  
"almost done."

'I've got everything I need, fighting monsters with you.'

Eddie took the notebook as soon as Richie clicked the pen.  
he smiled setting it on the table and grabbing Richie's food, placing it in his hands.  
"all for inspiration. but if you don't eat, you're gonna get grumpy."

Richie scoffed.  
"I do not get grumpy."

bill glanced up at him, smiling.  
"you t-totally do. it's hilar-rious."

Eddie grinned smugly.  
"told you. now eat."

Richie laughed, scooting closer to u=eddie until their thighs pressed together.  
because he's allowed to know.  
he's allowed to be close to Eddie.  
and the only way he could be a monster to him or any of the losers is if he dressed up as one.

**Author's Note:**

> this is just a short little thing I thought of while listening to the song, I hope it makes some sense?? sort of a ramble type thing.
> 
> https://that-one-soggy-pizza.tumblr.com/post/614617247158353920/richardtrashmouth-werewolf-copyright-shark


End file.
